First Solo Flight
by IMTheresa
Summary: Dean is off to work a job without his father for the first time and fifteen year old Sam is afraid he'll never see his brother again. But who's first solo flight is it really?
1. Chapter 1

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter One**

_Disclaimer_: Sadly, I still don't own them and I'm making no money from them.

_A/N_: Okay, so I lied. I thought I'd written my last story before the premier of season two, but this one has been roaming around my imagination for a while and I figured I'd get it out of my system before the next school session starts. We'll see if I can really do that. Reviews are welcome; don't make me beg.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Let me see."

"It's fine."

"Let me see." John Winchester repeated to his younger son.

Reluctantly, Sam held out his hand for John to inspect. He'd been cleaning and sharpening some of the knives in the weapons locker, as John told him to do, and accidentally cut his hand just as John was walking into the room.

"Come over to the sink." John said, more gently than Sam was used to hearing. John cleaned his son's hand and wrapped it in a clean towel. "I'll get the first aid kit. I don't think it needs stitches. Sit down."

Sam sat at the old dinette while John went to the bathroom for the first aid supplies. He glanced at his father when he returned to the kitchen; John silently applied an antibiotic ointment and wrapped his son's hand in gauze.

"Thanks, Dad." he said quietly, not looking at his father.

"I'll finish cleaning the knives." John said. "You should get to your homework."

"What?" Sam said, looking up sharply. John was hard on his sons when it came to learning to use weapons and studying about various creatures and monsters most people thought of only as legends, but normal school was not a huge priority for him. He wanted the boys to finish and to stay out of trouble, but it tended to come after the studies that he considered to be more important. Dean did well enough to graduate, but he excelled in the areas John wanted him to.

"You have homework, don't you?" John asked as he put away the supplies he'd used on Sam's injury.

"Yes, sir, but –" Sam glanced around the room, his eye landing on the clock. "Where's Dean?"

John hesitated for only a moment. "He's with Aidan."

"I didn't know Aidan was in town."

"He just got here a while ago."

"Is he working a job?"

"No, he's just passing through." John stood to take the first aid kit back to the bathroom. "Come on, get to your homework. I'll make dinner once I've finished up the knives."

Sam knew better than to question his father, but something was going on. He could tell by the way John was acting; he never suggested Sam do his homework instead of something related to the hunt. Normally he would have been angry with Sam for hurting himself while doing something as menial as sharpening the weapons. He went to the room he and his nineteen year old brother shared and tried to concentrate on his history homework. After a few minutes, he put the book aside and sat in the center of his bed, pulling the telephone closer to him. He hesitated another few minutes before dialing his brother's cell phone number.

"Hey, kid." Dean answered on the second ring. Sam heard crowd noise in the background. "What's up?"

"Where are you?"

"Aidan came into town. We're just hanging out – didn't Dad tell you?"

"Yeah." Sam said, trying to keep his tone light. "But I thought something might be wrong; he told me to do my homework."

Dean smiled to himself. His younger brother had a tendency to over-react to things, but he could see where he'd find John telling him to do his homework a little unsettling and he wondered what his father was thinking.

"He walked in while I was cleaning the knives." Sam continued. "He offered to finish it up for me and –"

"And what, Sammy?"

"He wasn't mad when I cut myself."

"You cut yourself? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Sam sounded a little embarrassed. "Dad took care of it. No stitches."

"Good. You should be more careful, though. Look, I'll be home later, okay? Everything is fine." Dean said as he glanced across the table at his friend.

Sam was reassured by his brother's voice. "Is Aidan going to stay with us?"

"Yeah, at least for the night."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

Dean slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket.

"Curious kid." Aidan Pritchard observed.

"Yeah." Dean was distracted.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't believe he's already suspicious. We might not be able to do this without telling him."

"Your dad doesn't want him to know."

"Yeah, well, Dad doesn't always get what he wants where Sammy is concerned. The kid is too smart for his own good."

Aidan nodded. He was a few years older than Dean and had known the Winchesters since the boys were young. A fellow hunter, he helped John with the boys and was almost like a member of the family. Dean looked up to him, but was also able to relate to him as a friend.

"You sure you want to do this?" Aidan asked Dean a few minutes later.

"Yeah, I want to do it. Sammy will be fine; Dad will take care of him."

Aidan laughed. "Taking care of Sammy was never your dad's strong suite. The kid is lucky he has you."

"Come on, man. Dad's not that bad."

Aidan said nothing.

"It's not like I have to protect the kid from him. He'll be fine."

"Of course he will. Now let's finish up and get out of here."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John and Sam ate in relative silence, but that wasn't unusual these days. Sam was starting to realize he wanted more out of his life than hunting and killing supernatural beings. Instead of following his father's orders unquestioningly like Dean did, Sam always wanted to know why. He begged his father to stay in town long enough for him to finish the school year but he really wanted was to graduate from high school without having to move again. He was even thinking about going to college. John loved his younger son, but had difficulty relating to him these days.

"I'll do the dishes." Sam said once they had finished eating.

"You need to keep your hand dry until it starts to heal." John said. "How does it feel? Do you need some Tylenol or something?"

"No, thanks, I'm fine."

John stood up and started to clear the table.

"Dad –" Sam began. Before he could continue Dean and Aidan came through the back door. Sam smiled at them.

"Hey Sammy." Aidan smiled, ruffling his hair.

Sam pulled away, pretending to be angry. "Knock it off, jerk."

"You missed me, you know you did." Aidan joked.

Sam grinned, unable to maintain the façade. He liked having Aidan around and often wished he'd spend more time with them. The group spent the next couple of hours laughing and reminiscing with a familial ease. John was almost jealous of how lighthearted his younger son was with Aidan.

"I'm going to bed." Sam announced just before 11:00. "Some of us have to get up in the morning. Will you be here when I get home from school, Aidan?"

He glanced at John, then at Dean. "I don't think so, kid. But I'll be back through in a couple of days and I thought I might spend a little time here."

Sam was disappointed. "Oh. Well, okay. I guess I'll see you in a couple of days." He still thought there was something going on.

"I'll come up with you." Dean said to his brother.

"I don't need to be tucked in."

"Hey, someone has to make sure you brush your teeth." Dean grinned.

Sam rolled his eyes and headed upstairs. Dean was sitting on the edge of his own bed when Sam came out of the bathroom a few minutes later.

"You gonna tell me what's going on?" Sam asked as he sat opposite his brother. "Why is Aidan here?"

Dean leaned forward, clasping his hands. "He's here to pick me up."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to work a job with him."

Sam's eyes widened. Dean was nineteen years old, but John had yet to let him do a job on his own and, despite having a few trusted friends, he certainly hadn't let him leave town to work a job with someone else.

"What kind of job? Is Dad going?"

"No, Sammy, Dad isn't going."

"So, what's the job?"

"Nothing big. Aidan just needs some backup and Dad thinks it's a good one for me to cut my teeth on. I can't work with Dad forever; at least not exclusively."

"So why all the mystery?"

"No mystery. Dad's a little nervous about me going, is all. And we thought you wouldn't be too happy about it either."

Sam looked at his brother. They didn't keep secrets from one another; at least not big ones or for very long. "What aren't you telling me? What's the job?"

"Some people have gone missing in a small town about a day's drive from here. Aidan has been there for a week or so, has it narrowed down to a couple different things."

Sam knew there was still something Dean wasn't telling him. He looked at him closely. "Narrowed it down to what? And why is Dad letting you go instead of going himself?"

"Sam –" Dean rubbed his palms on his jeans. "It's just training, okay?"

Sam still wasn't convinced, but he could tell this was something Dean really didn't want to talk about. He was pretty sure he could convince his brother to tell him what he wanted to know, but something kept him from pushing. Surely their father wouldn't let Dean get into something too dangerous… of course Sam didn't believe that. John had been getting them into dangerous situations for a long time.

The younger brother slid under the covers. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Before I go to school?"

Dean nodded.

"You'll be careful?"

"Of course."

"Will you call tomorrow night?"

"I'll call tomorrow; I can't promise it will be tomorrow night."

Sam looked thoughtful, then nodded.

Dean stood up and slapped him playfully on his arm. "Get some sleep, Sammy."

"You'd better get some sleep, too, if you're leaving that early."

"I'll be back up in a bit."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John walked into his sons' bedroom quietly the next morning and shook Dean to wake him. Immediately lucid, Dean got out of bed and went down the hall to shower. He'd packed a bag the night before and left it downstairs, but after showering and getting dressed he went back to the bedroom. He watched his brother, realizing suddenly that they had never been separated. For fifteen years, ever since his little brother was born, they had been together. Sobered by the thought, he turned to leave the room, but stopped when Sam called his name.

"I didn't mean to wake you." he said, sitting on the edge of Sam's bed.

Sam rubbed his eyes and sat up. "You have to say goodbye."

"Sammy –"

"You can't leave until you say goodbye."

"I'm not saying goodbye to you, Sam. I'll be back in a couple of days. Try not to fight with Dad while I'm gone, okay?"

"I'll try."

Dean smiled at his brother, hoping he looked encouraging. "You don't have to get up for school for a couple of hours. Why don't you try to get some more sleep?"

"I want to come downstairs –"

"Sam, I really would prefer you stay up here."

"Why?"

"I just -- I don't know; I just want it that way."

Sam looked at his brother and nodded reluctantly.

"I'll see you in a couple of days." Dean said.

Sam nodded again and watched his brother walk out of the bedroom; he had a horrible feeling that he would never see that happen again.

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Two**

_Disclaimer: They're still not mine. That makes me sad._

_A/N: Thanks for reading and for the reviews! Keep 'em coming; I'm insecure. LOL._

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Dean found his father and Aidan in the kitchen, whispering over cups of coffee.

"I'll meet you outside." Aidan said to him. "I got your bag."

"Thanks." Dean leaned against the counter, holding a cup of coffee.

"You okay?" John asked. "You can still say no."

Dean shook his head. "I'm good."

"I still don't like sending you off like this –"

"I know, but that's the way it has to be."

John sighed and stared into his mug.

"Sam's awake, by the way." Dean said quietly.

"How's he taking you leaving?"

"He seems worried; I don't think he completely buys the story. Take it easy on him, okay? But not too easy or you'll freak him out."

John nodded. "You'd better get going."

Dean took another sip of his coffee and dumped the rest into the sink.

"I checked out Aidan's weapons this morning. Everything looks fine."

Dean nodded and John stood up. He put his hands on his oldest son's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You can still say no."

"I'll be fine." Dean assured him.

John nodded and pulled him into a loving embrace. "Be careful."

"I will, Dad."

Aidan was sitting behind the wheel of his pick-up truck when John and Dean walked outside. Dean got into the passenger side and John leaned into the open driver's side window. "Take care of my boy."

"I will, John." Aidan said, meeting his eyes. There had already been considerable discussion about what might happen to him if Dean got hurt.

John stepped away from the truck after taking another look at his son. He was used to saying goodbye to his children, but it had always been him leaving. He'd never watched one of them leave on a job of their own. When he turned back to the small house they were renting, he saw Sammy standing at his bedroom window. This was going to be a long couple of days.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"So did the kid break you?" Aidan asked once they were on the highway.

Dean glanced at him. "What? No. I stuck to the story."

"He believe you?"

"Not completely."

"You okay?"

Dean nodded, his jaw set. "Yeah."

Aidan Pritchard was eleven years old when his parents announced they were leaving Ireland. His father worked for a division of the Bank of Ireland and a career opportunity was taking him to the United States. They lived in Connecticut for over a year and Aidan enjoyed his new surroundings. He had a lot of friends and excelled not only in his classes, but as an athlete. He was fourteen when he came home from a sleepover at a friend's house to find that his parents were missing. The inside of his home was all but destroyed, as if a tornado had had its way with the furnishings.

Even now, almost thirteen years later, he didn't really know what happened over the next few days. He remembered wandering around the house. He remembered the sun setting and his parents still not being home. He remembered seeing things later during the night that couldn't possibly be real – except that now he knew they were real. He wasn't sure how long he'd been hiding in the basement, waiting for his parents to return, when a stranger showed up. The man was surprised to find someone still in the house, but soon realized the young boy was in shock and needed help.

John Winchester didn't trust the local authorities and knew if the boy got lost in the system, he would probably never get what he really needed. Aidan found himself hundreds of miles from his home, under the diligent care of Jim Morgan, an Episcopalian pastor. Gradually he came to trust the new people in his life, but it was a long time before he could understand and accept what happened to his parents.

Aidan lived in the orphanage run by Jim's church, but was always under the watchful eye and tutelage of the pastor. The Winchesters were frequent visitors, sometimes living nearby, and John became something between a surrogate father and a beloved older brother. Aidan grew close to his sons as well.

Aidan's first choice was not to have Dean join him on this hunt, but the more he found out about what was going on in Milton, the more it made sense to get the help of his young friend. He approached John carefully knowing the older hunter would not be pleased about Aidan's idea. It was one thing for John to put his children in danger when he was there to protect them, but he'd yet to allow Dean to go off on a hunt without him. And because of Sam, John couldn't go. It wasn't that the boy was too young to stay alone, or hadn't had to miss school to go with his family before, but he wouldn't be happy if he knew what Dean was agreeing to do and keeping him in the dark would be easier if he was at home.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John spent part of the day at the library, looking for anything that might help Aidan and Dean. He wanted to be home when Sam got there, but lost track of time. When he pulled up in front of the house, he found his younger son washing Dean's car.

"Hey, how was school?" John asked as he stood next to his son.

"Okay."

"I didn't think the car was dirty."

"It wasn't. I just –" Sam pulled the sponge from the sudsy bucket and shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. You want some help?"

"Sure."

They worked in silence for a few minutes. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"Not yet. Dean will probably call when they get to Aidan's motel room." John said.

"Is this job dangerous?" Sam asked, concentrating on the car. "I mean –"

John looked at his son. "They're all dangerous, Sam. You know that"

"Dean was being pretty secretive about it."

"He'll be fine, Sam. He knows what he's doing and Aidan is with him."

Sam nodded, his fears not allayed.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"You want to call home?" Aidan asked as they dropped their gear on the motel room floor. He saw Dean flinch and added. "Sam is probably climbing the walls."

Dean took his cell phone from his jacket pocket and dialed his home number. He wasn't surprised when his younger brother answered.

"Hi, kid."

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, before reigning in his emotions. "The drive okay?"

Dean smiled to himself. "Yeah, it was fine. How was school? You had a history test, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I did okay."

"I'm sure you aced it. Things okay with Dad so far?"

"So far, so good."

The brothers engaged in more conversation; Aidan tried not to listen, but it was hard since they were in the same room. He was always amazed at how the brothers could talk for hours about nothing in particular and this conversation was another example of the same thing. He was also impressed at how involved Dean was in his little brother's life. Sometimes it was like he was Sam's father instead of his brother.

Finally Dean was able to end the conversation with Sam and his father came on the line. John asked Sam to go upstairs but because he didn't trust his son not to eavesdrop, John took the cordless receiver outside.

"I was at the library most of the afternoon." John began, sure Sam was inside and out of hearing range. "I didn't find a lot, but I don't like what I did find. It pretty much confirms Aidan's information. What's your plan?"

"I go to the wrong place at the wrong time and see what happens."

John knew that's how it had to be, but he didn't like it. "Make sure you have your knife if nothing else."

"I will."

"And make sure Aidan has your back."

"I will, Dad. Don't worry."

"That's not an option. Let me talk to Aidan."

Dean held out the phone. "Your turn. Good luck."

Aidan took the phone. "John?"

"I told Dean I found some information that confirms what you already found. Be careful, Aidan. Keep your eyes open."

"Open and on your son; I got it." Aidan saw Dean roll his eyes.

They spoke for a little longer, then John gave the phone back to Sam.

"I know you have stuff to do," Sam began after a few minutes of conversation.

"And you have homework. Take it easy, kid, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, Dean. Be careful."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

After burgers at the local diner, Dean and Aidan seemingly parted company. Dean headed for the town's only bar and Aidan appeared to go back to the motel. In reality, he doubled back and walked into the bar not too long after Dean. It was a large place, especially considering the size of the town, and Aidan was able to blend into the background. Dean, however, was there to stand out. He got a beer and wandered around, checking the place out, before getting himself invited to the pool game going on in a corner of the bar. He lost the first game on purpose, but won the second game and pocketed fifty dollars.

He tried for a third game, but had no takers. Instead, he started flirting with a pair of sisters who had just ordered tequila shots. He was able to get their phone numbers, but the real goal of his evening at the bar went unrealized. Just before midnight he signaled to Aidan and left the bar. They planned to meet around the corner, but when Aidan got there, Dean was nowhere in sight.

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Three**

_Disclaimer: They're still not mine. That makes me sad._

_A/N: Who can concentrate on a new story when we have a brand new episode to obsess about? _

_I've got a fairly short chapter for you, but there's quite a bit packed into it. Sort of. Thanks for the reviews; keep them coming. I appreciate knowing what you think!_

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"You're up kinda late, aren't you, Son?" John asked as he took a seat next to Sam on the couch.

"I couldn't sleep. Did I wake you?"

"No. I guess I was having trouble sleeping, too."

"You think he's okay?"

"Sam," John said gently. "You've seen your brother in the field. You know how good he is."

"So why couldn't you sleep?"

John looked at him. "Stop being so observant. I get to be worried; I'm the father. You're supposed to be the oblivious little brother."

"I haven't been oblivious since I was nine." Sam said.

John put his arm around Sam's shoulders and it surprised the young man how comforting that felt. John didn't offer many physical displays of affection anymore and Sam didn't realize how much he missed feeling that close to his father. He didn't think about it much because when Dean was around, he always felt safe and loved. It was almost like his father was secondary in his life.

"I know it's hard not to think about it, but that's what you're going to have to do. That's what both of us have to do. Dean will be fine."

Sam nodded, unconvinced.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Aidan walked around, struggling against panic. He noticed something on the sidewalk ahead of him and bent to pick it up.

"Huh." he muttered, looking at Dean's fake ID. "That didn't take long."

He looked around, hoping to find some clue to where Dean had been taken, but ended up back at his room. He sensed something was wrong as soon as he got out of his truck in the motel parking lot. He checked the gun tucked into the waist of his jeans and touched the amulet he wore around his neck. It was similar to the one Dean wore, but they weren't connected. He tried not to think about how Dean's apparently had done him no good.

Aidan approached the door carefully. He wasn't exactly psychic, he generally couldn't pick up on people's thoughts, but he could usually tell when there was a spirit in the vicinity. He could also sometimes see things that others could not, In addition to all that, he had the training provided by John and the other hunters he'd worked with as well as the experience of many years of hunting. Every instinct he had was screaming. The curtains in the room were drawn, but he was certain when he went inside he wouldn't be alone.

With as much caution as he could muster, Aidan slipped the key into the lock and opened the door, his gun in front of him. A quick search confirmed the room was empty, but he knew he wasn't alone.

"Who are you?" Aidan demanded. "Show yourself."

He turned, hearing a noise behind him. A shadow emerged from the bathroom and as it got closer to Aidan, a shape began to form. Aidan took a few steps back, pointing the gun at the form in front of him.

_You won't need that_. The voice wasn't in the room, but he heard it nonetheless.

"Humor me."

The shape appeared to sit on the bed. Aidan tried, but he could see no detail in what was before him. He kept the rock salt filled gun aimed at it.

"Where's my friend?" Aidan asked.

_We need him. Him and the others like him._

"What for?"

_Why did you bring him here? Why would you put him in danger that way?_

Aidan slipped his free hand into his jacket pocket. "Who are you?"

There was no answer. Aidan gripped something in the pocket and moved closer to the shape.

_What are you doing? _There was an edge of panic in the voice.

In one fluid movement, Aidan removed the small vial from his pocket, flipped open the top and tossed it toward the shape. It momentarily flickered, then became more solid.

_What did you do?_

"You're bound here until I let you go."

Again, the shape flickered, but returned more solid.

_This is a mistake._

"Tell me what you're doing with the people you've taken."

_We need them._

"So you said. How many of you are there?"

_It's hard to put a number to us. _

Aidan pulled the chair out from under the desk and sat down, facing the bed. "So back to why you've taken the people."

_I told you. We need them. We can't exist without them. How did you know I would come here?_

"I'm not giving away my secrets." Aidan stood up.

_Where are you going?_

"Don't worry, I'll be back. Don't go anywhere." he laughed. "Oh yeah, you can't."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John was sitting alone outside when the phone rang. He'd convinced Sam to go back to bed, but he doubted the boy would be able to get any sleep. He knew Sam would be worried about Dean's first hunt outside the family, but no one realized just how worried he would be.

"Aidan." John said into his cell phone.

"It's here."

"And Dean?"

"John –"

"Yeah, I know. So what now?"

"It can't leave until I let it go. I'll try to get it to tell me what it wants; Christopher is on his way. I just talked to him; he was delayed but he'll be here."

"I knew it was a mistake depending on Christopher."

"You just don't like him. And I know you don't like being there with what's happening here. How's Sam doing?"

"Not too good. It's almost like he knows we've lied to him." John said, rubbing his face. "So how far out is Christopher?"

"Couple of hours."

"Do you think you can break it before he gets there?"

"I don't know. Let me get back to it. I've got some herbs I can try."

"Keep me posted." John said. He set his cell phone on the table next to him and heard the screen door open.

"What did you lie to me about?" Sam asked angrily.

_TBC_


	4. Chapter 4

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Four**

_Disclaimer: They're still not mine. That makes me sad._

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who's still reading. I hope you like where it's going!_

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John looked at his youngest son, completely caught off guard. "Sam –"

"What did you lie to me about, Dad?"

"It's complicated –"

"Don't give me that. Where is Dean?"

"He's with Aidan."

"Is he? Or did Aidan lose him?"

"Sammy, no one is lost. Dean will be back –"

"Tell me what's going on!" Sam yelled. "What did you lie to me about? Where is my brother?"

John stood up and led Sam into the house. "Let's talk inside."

Sam leaned against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his chest. He glared at John angrily and the normally unflappable hunter was almost afraid. That's the affect his younger son had on him most of the time these days. Sam's questioning, Sam's unwillingness to follow orders – John didn't know how to deal with his independence and that scared him. He needed to protect his children, but Sam's attempt at autonomy was unfamiliar territory to John and they spent a lot of time fighting.

"What did you do, Dad? What did you lead Dean in to?"

"Nothing." John growled. "Dean knew exactly what he was getting in to."

"Tell me!"

"Sam, he's going to be okay. He'll be back in a couple of days –"

"I heard you tell Aidan you lied to me." Sam stared at his father. "What did you lie to me about?"

John sighed and rubbed his face. "Fine! You want to know? It's not just a simple job. It's not training! Aidan wanted to use Dean as bait and he went along with it!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, John wished he could take them back. The look on his boy's face told him he'd gone too far and said too much. Sam was not prepared for the truth.

"Bait?" Sam repeated quietly, feeling like he'd been kicked in the stomach. "Bait for what?"

"Sam," John moved toward him, but Sam backed away.

"Bait for what?" he demanded again.

"Aidan ran across something in Milton. Young men between the ages of 18-20 have been disappearing in cycles for years. The information gets a little spotty before about a hundred years ago, but it's safe to assume it goes back centuries. Aidan's plan was to get him noticed by whatever was taking the people and –"

"Does Aidan even know what it is?" Sam asked.

"We have an idea. Christopher is on the way –"

"Christopher? You put my brother's life in _his _hands? You don't like him or trust him!"

"It's not that I don't trust him, Sammy. He's good at what he does –"

"Dad, this is Dean –"

"I know it is! I didn't want to let him do this, but he wanted to!"

"We don't do things you don't want us to, Dad. If you'd ordered Dean not to do it – " Sam's voice cracked. "Why didn't you order him not to do it?"

John saw the chink in Sam's armor and reached out for him. He put his arms around the struggling boy and pulled him close. Sam fought the embrace and yelled at John, but eventually gave in. He leaned against his father, holding on as if John was the only thing anchoring him to the planet.

"Why didn't you order him not to do it?" Sam whispered.

John caressed his hair. "It's going to be okay, Sammy, I promise."

"Why didn't you order him?" Sam asked again, as he and John sank to the floor.

"I – "John looked away, but held his boy tighter. "I knew your brother could handle this. I trust Aidan and – well, I think Christopher is a little bit of a flake, but he's never let us down."

"What's going to happen? What are they hunting?"

"It's a demon similar to a necros."

Sam pulled away from his father just far enough to look him in the eye. "Necros. The skeleton thing that's hovering between life and death?"

John nodded, knowing Sam had just read about that demon. "We think that like a necros, this demon takes the life force of young men to sustain itself for centuries. Aidan found a way to bind one of the demons – he knew after they took Dean that one of them would come to where he had been most recently as part of their ritual and that's when he'd bind it. Christopher is supposed to read the demon to find out where it's keeping the people. They're going to rescue all of them that are still alive, purify the place and exorcise the demons if necessary."

"But why didn't you go with Dean?" Sam asked, sounding so young.

"Because we wanted to keep you out of it; so you wouldn't worry too much." John squeezed Sam's shoulders. "But I think we all forgot just how smart you are."

"How did Aidan know where to go? Where to put Dean –"

"All the men in Milton disappeared around the bar. They figured if Dean hung out there and got himself noticed –" John shrugged.

"Aidan called to tell you Dean was taken?"

John nodded.

"Why did you say it was a mistake to depend on Christopher?" Sam asked after a moment.

John wanted to be angry with his son for eavesdropping, but he felt bad for lying to him and the expression on his face right now – it had never been so clear to John as it was now that Sam worshipped his brother. Sam would never be the same if something happened to Dean.

"He's running late. He should have been at the room when Aidan got back, but he's not there. Aidan is going to try to break the thing before Christopher gets there, but –"

"What if he can't?"

"Then Aidan will hold it in the room until Christopher gets there. Sam, these things keep the people alive so they can drain the life force over a long period of time. Dean isn't in imminent danger."

"You're sure?"

John nodded, afraid to say anything for fear his voice would betray him.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Aidan had been back in the motel room for a while but nothing he tried cracked the demon. He was afraid to try anything stronger than the herbs he'd brought because accidentally destroying it would mean Dean's demise, not to mention that of the other men that also were being held.

_You think you can break me with something so weak?_

"Shut up."

_You ask me why we take the young men, but you already know._

"I said, shut up."

_You're frustrated. Something isn't happening the way it was supposed to._

"Don't try to get into my head."

Aidan heard the demon laugh. He left the room again a few minutes later and called Christopher's cell phone number.

"Hey, man. I'm almost there." Christopher said. "Another half hour."

"Hurry up, okay?"

"I'm trying. Is the binding getting weak?"

"Of course not." Aidan said, sounding offended. "But we don't know for sure what might be happening to Dean and I really don't want John on my ass for the rest of my life."

"Yeah, and you'd miss the little punk anyway. You have a soft spot for the Winchesters."

"Why are you such an ass?"

"I might miss the exit if you're not nice to me."

Aidan sighed. "Just get here."

He understood why John didn't completely trust Christopher. He was a very powerful psychic but he didn't always play for the right team. Jim found him a few years ago using his gift for less than honorable purposes while he lived on the streets. Jim took him in, hoping to tame him and make him one of the hunters but Christopher led his own life. He could normally be counted on, but only if something more interesting didn't come along.

Aidan kept checking on the demon he held in his room, but preferred to wait for Christopher outside. He resisted calling John, hoping the man had been able to get to sleep although he knew there was little chance of that.

He was relieved when he saw Christopher's flashy red Corvette pull into the parking lot. Christopher got out of the car, dressed in a suit that probably cost more than Aidan's entire wardrobe, and walked to where Aidan was standing.

"Aw, you're happy to see me. That's sweet." Christopher smiled, putting his arm around Aidan's shoulders.

"Knock it off. Get in there and do your job."

Christopher walked into the room, already reading the demon. Aidan followed, trying to keep his mind closed to the demon as well as the psychic.

The demon tried to resist and both men had to endure the demon's attempts at violence as the psychic probed for the information he wanted. As he dodged a flying chair, Aidan's feet got tangled in the bedspread that had been tossed to the floor earlier. He fell to the floor, hitting the side of his face on the bed post.

"You get it?" Aidan asked nearly half an hour later. He was holding an ice bag to his face.

"Yeah." Christopher said, trying not to let on how exhausted he felt. The demon was not particularly powerful, but enough to tax the psychic's abilities. "They're being held in an old barn on an abandoned farm about ten miles from here. Is that thing safe in there while we go get 'em?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Christopher got into the passenger side of Aidan's truck. "The demons should be dormant now. They're only active for a couple of hours at night while they're feeding."

"You got that tonight?"

"Yeah. They feed for several days and that's lasts them for years."

"What? Several days? They don't keep their victims alive – you mean, they take the life force over a period of a few days?" Aidan asked, glancing away from the road.

"It's worse than that. They take the life force in a matter of hours."

"Son of a bitch!" Aidan exclaimed. "It's not like the necros."

"Not so much."

"Do you know if Dean is –"

"I don't know. We're still too far away for me to get a read on young Winchester." Christopher looked at him. "But you might want to speed up."

_TBC_


	5. Chapter 5

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Five**

_Disclaimer: I'm still sad because I still don't own them. Seriously, how cool would it be to be involved in such an awesome show?_

_A/N: This chapter has a little twist; it has a little turn. I hope you like it!_

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John stood in the bedroom doorway, watching Sam sleeping fitfully. Exhausted and emotionally spent, Sam had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor feeling safe in his father's embrace. Somehow a couple of hours later, John managed to lead him to his bed, though his best rest had probably happened on the floor. He took a sip of coffee, aggravated that he'd not heard from Aidan or Christopher and even more annoyed that neither one was answering their phone. He didn't know if that meant things were going well or –

His thoughts were interrupted by Sam's moaning and sudden thrashing. He quickly put the coffee cup on the bookshelf next to the door and rushed to his son's side. Sam suffered from vivid nightmares when he was very young and, until about a year ago, John thought he had outgrown them. He knew Sam often woke up from bad dreams; he'd hear the boys talking in the middle of the night or early morning. Sometimes he'd hear Sam cry out in his sleep, but because he and Dean shared a room, the older brother was always there before John. He suspected that even if Dean was in a room down the hall, he would get to Sam's room first.

He knew he made a lot of mistakes as a father, but he was proud of the relationship between his sons. He tried not to think about the pressure he'd put on Dean to be Sam's protector; Dean always seemed to do it so willingly.

"Sammy." John said gently as he sat down on the edge of his son's bed. "Wake up, Sammy."

He held Sam's arms as the boy lashed out. "Sammy!"

Sam opened his eyes, but John wasn't sure he was completely awake yet. He held his arms gently and a moment later Sam looked at him. "Dad?"

"Yeah, I'm here. You were dreaming."

Sam sat up. John noticed the bandage that covered his hand was wet with blood.

"You opened up that cut." he said gently, pulling the hand toward him. "We'll need to clean it up."

"Dad –"

John looked at him.

"Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"With Dean. Something is wrong."

"Sammy, it was just a dream."

Sam shook his head. "No, it wasn't. It didn't feel like just a dream."

"Sammy –"

"Can we go to Milton?"

"What?"

"Can we go to Milton? Please, Dad?"

Sam knew the same pleading tone and expression that would turn Dean into mush would have no affect on his father, but he felt very strongly about going to Milton. He somehow knew that he and his father needed to be there.

John looked at his son. He saw the fear and desperation in his eyes and suddenly wanted to do anything he could to make Sam feel secure again.

"Sam, by the time we get there Dean and Aidan will probably be almost back here –"

"They won't be, Dad. I know they won't be. Something's wrong."

John sighed. He had the same feeling, though he'd tried to ignore it.

"All right, Sammy." he said quietly. "But first we need to take care of that hand."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Dean opened his eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd awakened in this prison and he knew that he was tied to the cot on which he lay. He also knew there were at least two other men in the same room. He didn't know where they were being held, but he knew that being there was a part of the plan.

He knew the town of Milton was basically being held hostage by these demons. Over ten young men had disappeared in the last few weeks and it would continue until the next full moon. By the time Aidan figured that out, they only had a few days to destroy them. As the next cycle of the moon began, the demons would go back into a sort of hibernation only to reemerge in a few years to start it all over gain.

Dean didn't have to hear the story twice before he was ready to help. All of the men were about his age and they all had basically the same physical characteristics. It only made sense to use him as bait and Dean was a willing participant. He remembered it took quite a bit of convincing to get his father on board and, of course, John had wanted to be a part of it.

But Dean knew that if John came along, they would have no choice but to tell Sam about the plan and he didn't want his little brother to know what he was willing to do. Sam was a good hunter, he had the skills and he was tough enough to do it, but there was something about him… he'd already started talking about wanting something else out of life than what the hunt had to offer. Dean didn't like to hear it, didn't like to think about it, but he knew that he would probably lose Sam to that other life that he wanted. In the meantime, he would do anything he could to keep Sam safe and that included keeping him away from this job.

Dean struggled against the chains that held him, knowing he couldn't break free. He tried before and hadn't been able to find a way out. He knew Aidan and Christopher would be there soon, but he'd wanted to be able to do a little reconnaissance on his own before they got there.

He heard something from the opposite side of the room. He couldn't see very well; the room was dark except for a small light in the corner. Dean strained to see, but it was almost on him before it came into view. Even though he knew it would do no good, he struggled against his bonds. Being eaten by these demons was definitely not a part of the plan.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John pulled out of the driveway and dialed Aidan's cell phone number. When the call went straight to voice mail, he knew the phone was turned off. Annoyed, he left a message telling Aidan that he and Sam were on their way to Milton.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"How many times do you think John has called?" Aidan asked as they approached the farm.

"You want my professional opinion?" Christopher joked.

"What? You got a read on John and he's a day's drive away –"

"No, not a full out read, but I can sense his anger. You got something of his in this heap?"

"It's not a heap." Aidan protested. "And I don't know; I might have something of his. Why?"

"Because I can sense him. He's too far away for that so there must be something in the truck amplifying it."

"Damn it, Christopher! We had a whole bunch of Dean's stuff in the room you could have used to amplify –"

The psychic slipped a hand into his leather jacket and pulled out a small knife.

"What's that?"

"I got it from the kid's bag."

"You're really pissing me off, man. Can you get a read on him or –"

Christopher nodded.

"And before, when you said we were too far away –"

"Just drive, okay? I can use this to lead us right to the kid." Christopher looked out of the side window. He didn't think they were going to make it in time.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

As Dean was taken away from the cot, he could see he and the others weren't being held in a room, but in the back of a barn. He felt like he was floating between the two shadows that were leading him somewhere else. He couldn't move his arms or legs, but he could move his head enough to look around.

He could see the sun starting to rise in the distance as they left the barn and went to what he assumed was a cellar. They went down the stairs, Dean still feeling like he was floating. He could see bodies hanging from the ceiling by their hands; they appeared to be dead. He tried to look at his captors, but all he could see were dark shadows.

The next thing Dean knew, he as strung up like the bodies around him. He struggled, but it did no good. "You are freakin' kidding me." he muttered.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"He moved."

Aidan looked at Christopher as they got out of the truck. "What?"

"He's been moved from the barn." Christopher rubbed the knife he'd taken from Dean's bag. They were close enough now that he didn't need it, but touching it helped his nervousness.

"Where is he?" Aidan asked as he opened the weapons box in the bed of the truck.

"Underground." Christopher glanced around. "He's underground."

"Buried or like in a cellar?"

"I don't know yet."

Aidan looked at him. "What?"

"Where ever he is, he's not doing well."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Dad." Sam began suddenly. "How far away are we?"

"Still a long way, Sam. I'm going as fast as I can."

"It's not going to be fast enough."

John glanced at him. "What?"

"We're not going to get there in time."

"Sam, what are you talking about?"

"I – I don't know. I just, I just _feel_ it. I told you something was wrong –"

"Sammy –"

"I can't explain it, Dad. I just – I just _know_."

"What do you know, Sammy? Tell me."

Sam looked at him. "Dean is in trouble."

John gripped the wheel tighter. "What kind of trouble?"

"I don't know, Dad. I just know he's in trouble."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"I thought you said they'd be dormant." Aidan whispered harshly as Christopher led them to where he could sense Dean.

"There's something else here."

"What do you mean? Something else? What?"

"Just what kind of research did you and John do? Do you have any idea what you're dealing with?"

"We thought they were like the necros. Everything we found – there was no reason to think –"

"John isn't that sloppy." Christopher said. "These things have servants. The demons that do the eating _are_ dormant. At least until tonight when they'll feed again. But their servants take care of the bodies; protect them during the day."

"The thing back at the motel –"

"Servant." Christopher clarified.

"You didn't give John all the information you had, did you? If you'd told him more, he might have found out –"

"I gave him everything I had." Aidan protested. "But maybe I just didn't find enough before I went to him. People have been _dying_, man. It's been going on for years and it will continue unless we stop it."

"Yeah? And you goody goodies face that kind of thing _every day_. You take the time to do the research so that you don't get each other killed. You're using the man's son as bait and you didn't take the time to do the proper research? And you intentionally led him down the wrong road?"

Aidan ran a shaking hand through his hair. Christopher looked at him, realization and shock coming to him at the same time.

"And you're supposed to be his friend." the psychic whispered.

"I _am _his friend. I would never knowingly hurt him or his sons –"

"You're not after the demons themselves, are you? You're after the servants." Christopher grabbed his shoulder. "The servants killed your parents, didn't they?"

Aidan tried to pull away, but Christopher wouldn't let him go.

"Didn't they?" he demanded.

Aidan looked at him, his eyes big and filled with tears. "What?"

Christopher was confused. The images he was getting from Aidan were confusing and coming at him too fast. He let go of the other man and backed away. A moment later he was pacing. "You didn't know. You didn't know what killed your parents – what brought you here?"

"What are you talking about? What killed my parents? John investigated, but there wasn't enough information – why do you think I know anything? I wasn't even home when it happened!"

Christopher looked away, toward something that Aidan couldn't see.

"We have to get to Dean - something is happening."

Aidan was shaking. "Christopher –"

"You said you didn't need John on your ass for the rest of your life. If you really mean that, you'll get it together and come with me now. I don't like being put in these situations, situations were I might get killed, but I'm here now. I'm not like the rest of you freaks who seem to get off on this kind of thing. But _I_ don't need John Winchester on _my_ ass either; so you'd better get your shit together and help me rescue his son." Christopher softened for a moment. "Once Dean and the others are safe, I'll help you figure out what got you here."

_TBC_


	6. Chapter 6

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Six**

_Disclaimer: Except for Christopher and Aidan, no one here is mine _

_A/N: I really, really want to get this finished soon. School work is calling and, although I want to ignore it, that wouldn't be in my best interest. Thanks for the feedback so far and, please, keep it coming. It really helps to know what you guys think!_

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Aidan wanted time to think, but Christopher was right. They had to find Dean and the others before it was too late. But what if Christopher was right about something else? What if this was, somehow, related to his parents' death? How could that be possible? He came across the Milton disappearances in a search of newspaper archives. He'd never even heard of the town before. He investigated the stories, talked to the families of the missing men… all the research he did pointed to something similar to the necros demon. He knew it couldn't be the necros because they had been exterminated a long time ago.

"Aidan!" Christopher hissed.

Lost in thought, Aidan had fallen behind. He saw Christopher standing before doors that obviously led to an underground cellar. He quickly caught up to the psychic.

"Is Dean in there?" Aidan whispered.

Christopher nodded. "He's weak, but he's in there."

"Others?"

"I don't sense anyone else in there; other than some of those servants." he sighed and checked the gun he'd gotten from Aidan's weapons locker. He was also carrying a satchel with the items they'd need to purify the area. "You see anything with that freaky thing you do?"

"You're one to call someone freaky, psychic wonder." Aidan shot back, but took a few moments to look around. "I don't see anything out here."

"You ready?"

Aidan hesitated a moment before he nodded.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"You doin' okay, Sammy?" John asked. Sam had not spoken in nearly an hour.

"Yeah." Sam said quietly, leaning against the passenger side door.

"You want something to eat or drink?"

"I just want to get to Dean."

"We'll get there." John cast a worried glance at his son.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Christopher led the way into the cellar. John was right about him; he was a flake, but he rarely let his friends down. He definitely took himself and his needs into consideration first and used his skills to earn fast and easy money, but he was as capable a hunter as any of them when he needed to be.

They didn't know how many of the creatures were in the cellar, but Aidan brought several vials of the binding potion with him and broke them against the walls as Christopher looked for Dean. Aidan could see the shadows of the servants and knew he'd successfully incapacitated most of them. He used his rock salt filled gun to handle the others as he followed Christopher through the cellar.

"Here!" Christopher said, rushing toward Dean. He was hanging from the ceiling by his hands, flanked on each side by bodies in a similar pose. Aidan checked the other bodies and shook his head at Christopher.

"Dean's alive." Christopher said a moment later. "But his pulse is weak; he's unconscious. They must have already fed on him."

"Let's get him down." Aidan said. "Can you tell if there's anyone else here?"

"There are still people in the barn. Two, I think. Those servant things are trying to block me."

"What about our demon friends?"

"Still dormant. But I can feel some more of those servants around. You see anything?"

"Just the ones I bound. Let's get Dean outside; we'll purify the place and then go to the barn."

Christopher glanced at him. "You doing okay?"

"No, but I want to get Dean out of here."

They carried Dean out between them, settling him against a tree near the cellar doors. They briefly discussed one of them staying with him, but knew the purification would go faster if they both worked on it. Christopher kept a psychic link open with Dean so he'd know immediately if was in danger.

They finished the ritual and, after getting Dean into the truck, drove closer to the barn. They left him in the cab while they went inside to rescue the other prisoners. Aidan used the last of the vials he brought to bind the servant spirits so they could get to the prisoners without danger.

They were alive and after being unchained, were able to walk outside on their own.

"You see anything?" Christopher asked Aidan.

Aidan stared at a far corner of the barn. "The ones that are dormant – they're here."

"I don't sense them. That's just creepy." Christopher shook his head. "I think we should burn it down since we don't know the purification will work on them."

Aidan glanced away, but quickly agreed.

Once they were sure the barn would completely burn, they left the farm. Dean was leaning against Christopher in the cab of the truck while Aidan drove toward town. He was still unconscious, his pulse weak, but there were no apparent injuries.

"Do we take him to the hospital?" Aidan asked.

"I don't know. I think we need to call John."

"I'm not looking forward to that."

"How are you doing?"

Aidan shrugged. "I don't understand any of this – I can't believe I screwed up so badly."

"Yeah, well –" Christopher truly felt sorry for Aidan. "We'll figure it out."

Aidan nodded as Christopher reached for his cell phone. He turned it on and saw he had five messages from John. He decided not to listen to them and dialed John's number instead. He answered quickly.

"Christopher – "

"We have Dean." he said before John could ask. "We ran into some problems, but we've got him."

"Problems?" John asked, glancing at Sam. He appeared to be asleep as he leaned against the window. "How is he?"

"Unconscious. Pulse is thready – do you want us to take him to the hospital or –"

"I doubt it's medical."

"I agree."

"Take him back to the motel. Sam and I are on the way."

"You are?"

"Didn't you get my messages?"

"I didn't listen to them, I wanted to let you know we had Dean –"

"We'll meet you at the motel. Did you destroy the demons?"

"Yeah. But, like I said, there were some problems. How far away are you?"

"Probably three hours."

Christopher glanced at Dean. "Okay. We'll meet you at the motel."

"Call me if –"

"Yeah." Christopher hung up and looked at Aidan. "John and Sammy are on their way."

"What? Why?"

"I didn't ask, but I assume it's because he was worried about his son."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Aidan pulled the truck into an empty lot so he and Christopher could talk to the other men they had rescued.

"Look, guys, we need your help." Christopher started. He couldn't make people bend to his will, but part of his ability allowed him to influence them in small ways. "It's really important that you not tell the police about us. Just tell them you managed to get away – you can tell them you got picked up on the highway, but –"

"Anything you want, man. I'm just glad to be out of there." one of them said quickly.

"Me, too. What about that guy?" the other one gestured toward Dean.

"He's hurt, but we'll take care of him. If we drop you off here, can you get home, or to the sheriff's office?"

"Yeah. It's just a couple blocks away."

"And you'll keep us out of it?"

"Sure." they said in unison.

"Great." Aidan and Christopher moved toward the cab.

"Hey –" one of the men said. "I – uh – I don't know how you found us, but thanks."

"Yeah, thanks." the other agreed.

"No problem. Take care of yourselves."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Before we kill that thing, let's see if it can tell us how to help Dean." Aidan said as he parked in front of the motel room.

"It's worth a shot." Christopher laid Dean across the seat. "Let's leave him here; just in case."

Aidan stared at his unconscious friend. "Can you get anything from him?"

"I can tell he's still in there." Christopher said sympathetically. "Why don't you stay with him? I can deal with our friend inside."

Aidan nodded and Christopher walked into the motel room. "Hi, Honey, I'm home."

_You've killed them._

"So you guys are – were – all connected?"

_Yes. And now I suppose you're going to kill me?_

"I can't have you hurting people."

_We were here first._

"Be that as it may –"

_There are others, in other places._

Christopher sat down on the chair they'd left in the middle of the room. "Is that supposed to scare me?"

_No. I'm just stating a fact._

"So you wouldn't be interested in telling me how to help my young friend, would you?"

_You can't help him. If he's been fed on, he'll die._

"That's not an option."

_It's a fact._

Christopher attempted to read the spirit, but he found it difficult. The spirit attacked him psychically and telepathically threw things around the room. Christopher sheltered himself from the flying debris as he continued trying to read the spirit.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Dean." Aidan said to his friend, putting a hand on his forehead. "I'm so sorry. I don't know how I screwed this up so badly, but you've got to fight whatever is happening to you. Christopher is inside the room with one of the spirits and he's trying to find out how to help you, so hold on."

He wasn't expecting an answer and didn't get one. He heard the commotion from inside the room and, although he didn't want to leave Dean alone, he was afraid for Christopher's safety. He rushed inside and was nearly hit with a flying Bible.

"Get back out to Dean!" Christopher yelled. "I've got it covered!"

Aidan looked at him, unsure.

"Go!" Christopher yelled again.

Reluctantly, Aidan did as he was told.

Finally, Christopher got the information he needed. It wasn't what he wanted to find out, but facts couldn't be changed. Once the spirit was destroyed, he went outside to help Aidan bring Dean in. He was tired, physically and mentally, but there was still work to be done.

"What did you find out?" Aidan asked after they had Dean settled in one of the queen-sized beds.

"I need to call John." Christopher reached for his phone and dialed John's number.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"John here." he said. As he listened to Christopher, he looked over at Sam who still appeared to be asleep. After glancing into the rearview mirror, he pulled off the road and killed the engine. "Hold on."

He put the phone on the dashboard and reached for his son. "Sammy?"

Sam had been leaning against the passenger side door, but when John reached for him, he fell listlessly toward his father. "Sammy! Damn it!"

After trying unsuccessfully to rouse him, John grabbed his phone. "He's unconscious. What the hell, Christopher?"

"Apparently there's more than a brotherly bond between your boys. It may be transitory, but right now they're connected."

"How do we wake them up?"

"The first step is to get them into the same room. Just get him here; I'll work on the rest."

_TBC_


	7. Chapter 7

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Seven**

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Winchesters, but since I created Christopher and Aidan does that make us in-laws or something? Really. I'll take anything._

_A/N: Thanks for all the great feedback! You guys are really awesome! I got some requests for Dean!Torture and even though I hadn't planned on it, I added some to this chapter. Feel free to let me know what you think; I love the attention._

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Aidan sat on the bed across from Dean, watching him intently, while Christopher was out looking for what he needed. He told Aidan he was also going to try to get in touch with someone he thought might be able to help. Although the boys were unconscious, they weren't in eminent danger but their bodies would gradually wear down. Christopher realized they would have more time if they were taken to a hospital, but he also recognized the risks.

The door and the one window in the room were salted to keep other demons away. All of the servants were connected and the hunters feared that the massacre in Milton would draw more of them to the town to seek revenge on those who orchestrated it.

Aidan's thoughts wandered. Christopher accused him of keeping information from John but he knew that wasn't true. Christopher also said it was the servants who killed his parents – could that have happened? How could that possibly have impacted Aidan's research? He had no idea what killed his parents. John investigated, but it ended up being one of the few cases he couldn't solve. He searched for similarities between what happened in Connecticut and things that had happened elsewhere, but in the end he could only add the information to his journal and hope it would be useful in the future.

But Aidan had been alone in the house for at least a day, probably longer, before John got there. He didn't remember anything about that time; he'd never tried very hard to remember. Jim offered to use his resources, trusted psychics, to help him but Aidan always refused.

Aidan's thoughts were interrupted when Dean became restless.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

_Dean could feel his arms being hoisted above him and he was connected to some type of device that hung from the ceiling. He'd been in perilous positions before, but not like this. He was completely immobilized and even if he hadn't been stripped of his weapons, he wouldn't have been able to get to them. _

_He had no idea what the things looked like that brought him here; all he could see were dark figures. They weren't communicating with voices, but somehow he could still hear what they were saying. He knew he was being prepared for something – but it was happening too fast. The information they had said the demons fed on their prisoners over a long period of time; how long had he been held here? He didn't think it was that long… if something had gone wrong, Aidan would have called John and his father would have rescued him. It wasn't supposed to happen this way._

_He felt almost like he'd been drugged. He could feel the binding around his wrists, and even though his entire body was suspended, he felt no pain. The room was too dark to see much detail, but he felt like something was wrong with his eyesight because things looked so blurry._

_The pain came suddenly and was more intense than anything Dean had ever felt before. It was coming from inside – but how was that possible? He cried out; he wasn't sure if it was more from the pain or the surprise of it. He felt like he was burning from the inside and when he thought he would pass out, the pain stopped._

_He was limp against the bindings, sweat pouring off of him. It was hard to breathe, but at least the pain had stopped._

_He couldn't cry out the second time the wave hit. If possible, it was even more severe than the first time. All he could do was ride it out. When it ended, again, he went limp. He was barely able to react when it happened for the third time. _

"_Dad –" Dean whispered before he passed out._

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John drove faster than was safe, but he made it the rest of the way to Milton in record time. He'd called Aidan from a few miles away and he was waiting for John when he pulled into the parking lot. He helped get Sam inside and settled him on the other bed. John sat next to Dean and put his hand on the side of his son's face.

"He's hot." the father commented.

"That just started. I got some ice and a wash cloth –"

John saw the ice bucket on the bedside table and reached inside. He gently touched the cloth to Dean's face, but there was no reaction.

"Dean," John whispered, close to his ear. "Dean, it's Dad. Sammy's here, too. It's safe to come back now, Son."

He turned to Aidan. "Where's Christopher?"

"Out getting supplies."

"What the hell happened, Aidan?" the older hunter growled.

"I don't completely understand it. The demons we – I – thought were responsible were really just servants. And the really bad guys start feeding a lot sooner than we – I – thought."

"They fed on Dean?" John asked, angrily.

Aidan nodded. "Yeah."

John turned back to his son. He was angry at Aidan for the faulty research, but more angry with himself for not finding the holes. He and Jim trained Aidan; he'd never made this kind of mistake before. John only fact-checked him; irritated that he didn't start from square one and confirm everything on his own. His mistake not only put Dean in danger, but somehow put Sam in danger as well.

"When is Christopher due back?" John asked after a few minutes.

"I don't know –"

"Call him and find out."

Aidan didn't hesitate.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Christopher walked into the room a half hour later. In addition to the supplies he'd gotten, he brought coffee and food.

"John, this is Raven." Christopher introduced the elderly woman who followed him into the room. "I think she can help the boys."

"John Winchester." she said with a faint Jamaican accent. "Your reputation precedes you."

John took her outstretched hand.

"Christopher told me what happened; what he read from that monster. We've got our work cut out for us, but I think we can get your boys back. But first you men need some food."

"Raven –" John began.

"I have things to do and I don't need your help to do them. Eat."

Christopher smiled to himself as John did as he was told.

As the men ate, Raven set about mixing herbs and fussing over the young Winchesters. John watched every mood she made.

"You want to fill me in?" he asked Christopher.

The psychic glanced at Aidan. "There are still some holes in what we know, but I think Sam and Dean are together."

"How is that possible?" John asked.

"One of them has some psychic ability. My guess is Sam."

"He's never shown any psychic ability –"

"It might be something that hasn't really manifested yet. But I think the kid went looking for his brother; he somehow knew something was wrong and was drawn to him."

"So if we get Dean back, we get Sam back?"

"That's exactly right." Raven interjected.

John looked at her. "How do we get Dean back? What happened to him?"

"The demons fed on him before they started on their daily nap." Christopher said. "It's not a physical thing. For lack of a better term, they absorb the life force."

"So what do we do?"

"The herbs I'm mixing together are used to restore the life-force in people who have been ill. They'll help. But the real trick is going to be reaching Sam." Raven said.

"I thought we needed to get to Dean to save Sam."

"No. If Christopher is right, and I think he is, the boy was drawn to his brother. He's completely healthy, but tied to Dean. We need to help Sam help Dean."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sam wandered through the darkness. He didn't know where he was, or how he got here, but he knew he needed to find his brother. He could feel Dean, but hadn't been able to reach him yet and he was getting tired.

He didn't know how long he'd been walking; he didn't even know if he was walking in one direction or in circles. He couldn't see anything other than the fog that surrounded him and was surprised when he tripped over something on the ground.

"Dean." Sam whispered, knowing he'd found his brother although the fog was too thick to see him yet. He carefully scrambled toward the prone figure and put his hand on his brother's arm. "Dean?"

Sam sat on the ground and lifted Dean's head to his lap. "Come on, Dean, you gotta wake up, man." Sam put his hand on Dean's forehead. "Please, Dean?"

A moment later Dean's hand reached for him. "Sammy?"

Sam took his brother's hand. "Hey, Dean. You with me?"

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure."

Dean opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything but his brother's face.

"Where's Dad?"

"I don't know. I don't know what's happening. Are you okay?"

Dean tried to sit up, but fell back against Sam. "I don't think so."

Sam looked around. "I have to get you out of here."

"Do you even know which direction out is?"

Sam didn't say anything.

"Sammy?"

"I'll figure it out."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"What happened to the boy's hand?" Raven asked.

"He cut it sharpening a knife." John said.

"It's bleeding."

John went to Sam's side and took off the bandage to examine the cut. "I don't understand. It isn't that bad a cut, but it opens up pretty easily and bleeds –"

"When did he cut it?"

"The afternoon before Dean left."

"Did he already know Dean was leaving?"

"No."

Raven looked closer at the cut. "Was he sharpening his brother's knife? Or one used by him most recently?"

John tried to remember. "I'm not sure."

She looked at Christopher. "Is there any way you can tell?"

"Is that important?" John asked.

"It could be." she looked back at Christopher. "Well?"

The psychic moved closer to the young man, searching for the information. "It was a knife Dean gave to Sam."

"You don't happen to have it with you, do you?" Raven asked John.

"I'll check the car." John said. Sam had insisted they take the Impala when they left for Milton.

John knew which knife they were talking about, but he didn't find it in the trunk. On a whim, he looked in Sam's duffle bag; it was wrapped in one of his brother's shirts.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Dean?" Sam could tell his brother was slipping away. "Don't go to sleep, okay?"

"I'm tired, Sammy."

"You're hurt. Do you know what happened to you?"

"No."

"I think maybe we need to start walking –"

"I don't think I can."

"You can. You have to."

Sam stood up and helped Dean to his feet. Although he was four years younger, a recent growth spurt made him almost as tall as his brother. He was able to support most of Dean's weight as they walked in the direction that Sam felt was right. It was slow going and Dean stumbled more than once, but Sam caught him each time.

"Any idea where we're headed, kid?" Dean asked. He was tired and weak, a sheen of perspiration on his forehead, but he tried to appear strong for his brother.

"Not exactly. I'm kind of winging this, Dean. All I know is it _feels_ right."

"Since when do you feel things like that?"

"Since you told me you were going on a job without Dad."

"Huh."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"What does the knife have to do with anything?" John asked, back inside the motel room.

"I don't think that it's the knife that's important." Raven said thoughtfully. "I think it's a representation of the bond between them."

"I found it in Sam's bag, wrapped on one of Dean's shirts."

"Is the shirt itself important?"

"It's one of Dean's favorites; some rock band."

"You came here in the Impala – " Christopher noted. He looked at Raven. "Dean's car."

"Was that Sam's idea?" she asked.

John nodded.

"You have quite a boy there."

"I don't understand."

"He's going to develop quite strong abilities, I think."

John wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

"Let's get to work." Raven said.

_TBC_


	8. Chapter 8

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Eight**

_Refer to disclaimers in previous chapters._

_A/N: Thanks for reading; we're getting close to the end… _

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"I have to sit down." Dean said, barely above a whisper.

Before Sam could respond, Dean fell to his knees. Sam helped him to as comfortable position as he could manage.

"This still feel like the right direction?" Dean asked a moment later.

"Yeah." Sam said without hesitation. "It does."

Dean looked him in the eye. "Is that just bullshit?"

"No, Dean. I swear. I don't know how I know it's the right direction, but it is."

Dean nodded.

"Hey, Sam?" he began after another moment.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Sam looked at him. "What for?"

"Not telling you the truth about this job. I just didn't want you to worry."

"Don't you know I'd worry about you no matter what? You're my brother."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"You want to go through this once more?" Christopher asked.

Raven looked away from Dean for a moment. She'd made a broth from some of the herbs Christopher bought at her direction and was trying to feed it to the unconscious boy.

"You need to find Sam and open a link with him." she explained. "You've done that a million times."

"Never with the chance that I'd end up in some other dimension."

She smiled patiently. "It's not another dimension. It's just sort of a dream world. And you probably won't get stuck there."

"Probably?"

"You're a very gifted psychic and you know how you use your abilities. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Christopher looked at John. Normally he would see someone very confident in front of him; sure of his ability to fight all sorts of evil while protecting his children. Now he saw someone who was scared he was about to lose the only things that really mattered to him. He sighed. "Let's do this."

John put the knife that Sam brought with him on the bedside table. He leaned close to Sam's ear as he placed Dean's folded shirt under his younger son's hand. "Sammy, Christopher is coming to help you."

He saw Sam grip the t-shirt. "Just hold on, Sammy."

Christopher sat on the edge of Sam's bed as John positioned a chair between both the beds. He put a hand on each of his sons and looked at Christopher.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Help's coming." Sam whispered to his brother.

Dean opened his eyes. "What?"

"Help's coming."

"How do you know?"

"I – I don't know. Do you think you can walk some more?"

"I thought you said help was coming."

"We can't just wait here."

Dean nodded. Sam stood up and held out his hand. "Come on."

"Sam, I don't think I can." Dean said quietly.

"Dean, you're my brother and I would do anything for you. What about you?"

"Sammy –"

"Please, Dean. Please."

Dean looked into his brother's eyes. He'd never been able to deny Sam anything; especially when he looked at him that way. A moment later he nodded and let Sam help him off the ground.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Christopher knew he was really still in the motel room, but all he saw around him was fog. It was hard to tell which direction to go; he still felt a strong connection to Sam in the physical world and couldn't quite get a fix on him where ever he was now. He'd considered keeping a link to one of the adults in the room, but for whatever reason Sam was like a beacon right now and it was easiest to hold onto him. He didn't think about it creating such a problem to find him here.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Dean was only able to walk short distances without resting and Sam could only carry him so far.

"I'm sorry, Sammy." Dean whispered as he leaned against his brother.

"For what now?"

"Getting you into this mess."

"You didn't get me into anything."

"Maybe you should go back."

"What?"

"I'm don't think I'm gonna make it. You should –"

Sam pulled him up by his collar. "Listen to me. I'm not leaving you here, do you get that? I don't care what it takes. I'm not leaving you here."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John was watching Dean when he saw Sam jerk on the other bed. He glanced at Christopher, but his trance was uninterrupted. John squeezed Sam's leg.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Christopher was finally able to tell which direction he needed to go. As he moved forward, the fog around him seemed to get thicker and he knew how easy it would be to get lost if he only had his eyesight to depend on.

He couldn't help but wonder about Sam's abilities and what it meant in the big scheme of things. Would it help him with the hunt, or would it end up hurting him? And Christopher knew about the normal life Sam wanted to lead. How would these abilities keep fit into that life? Christopher knew first hand how hard it was to live with these skills.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Raven put a hand on John's shoulder. "Coffee?"

He shook his head. "It's taking longer than I expected."

"This could take quite a while."

"Can you – can you tell anything that's going on?"

"I'm not psychic." she said gently. "I just know about herbs and natural healing."

"That's all, huh?"

She smiled. "And I might know about spells and potions, too."

"He's weak." John said, looking at Dean's ashen face.

"He's fighting. And he's with Sam."

"You think Sam found him?"

"I'm sure he did."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Aidan sat in a corner of the room, watching as his friend suffered. He felt responsible for everything and didn't know how he would ever make up for it. He'd been searching his memory, trying to think of everything he saw when he got home from that sleepover all those years ago, but he remembered nothing new.

Raven moved back to Dean's side, bathing his face with an ice cold wash cloth. The fever had not subsided and the herbal remedies weren't helping.

Once Raven left John, Aidan moved closer. He had felt like a member of the family for a long time and it hurt to be on the outside this way.

"John," he whispered.

"Not now, Aidan. I'm trying really hard not to be pissed off at you right now. I know you feel like hell, but both of my sons are lying here unconscious and I'm having a hard time working up any sympathy for you at the moment."

"I don't want your sympathy." Aidan said. "I just – "

John glanced at him and sighed. "Why don't you sit next to Sammy?"

"Thanks." the younger man whispered.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sam and Dean hadn't made much progress and the younger brother was getting very nervous. He could feel something safe coming from the direction they were moving in, but he didn't know how far away it was. Dean was getting weaker and Sam was afraid if they didn't get to that safe spot soon, Dean would never leave here.

"Do you think you can go a little further?" Sam asked after they'd been sitting for a while.

"Yeah." Dean said. He didn't sound convincing.

Sam stood up and helped Dean to his feet.

"Do you think it's much further, little brother?"

"I don't know. I hope not."

"Yeah. Me too."

Dean had only gone a few feet when he stumbled. Unable to catch him, Sam landed on top of him.

"Dean!" he exclaimed. "Dean?"

He rolled his brother onto his back.

"Come on, Dean. Please. You've got to wake up."

He got no response.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sam jerked on the bed again. As John moved closer to him, he sensed more than felt Dean's body go even more limp that it had been. Raven looked at John.

"What's going on?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

John moved closer to Dean. He was no longer hot; his skin was frighteningly cold.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Sam? Sam!"

"Christopher?" Sam responded. "We're over here! Dean collapsed!"

The psychic knelt down next to Sam.

"How did you find us?"

"I followed your signal, kid. Now let's get out of here before it's too late for Dean."

They supported Dean's weight between them and went back in the direction Christopher had come from.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Dean," John whispered to his oldest son. "You just have to hold on a little longer. I know you're with Sammy and Christopher is on the way. Just a little longer, Dean."

_TBC_


	9. Chapter 9

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Nine**

_Refer to disclaimers in previous chapters._

_A/N: Okay, this is really short. Really. But it wraps up the cliff-hanger in the last chapter and since I have homework to start on… Thanks for reading up to here and for the fabulous reviews. It's nice to know when people enjoy what I've written. It definitely helps fuel the fire. _

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"I don't understand what's going on." Sam said to Christopher as they headed toward safety.

"I don't quite understand it all myself." Christopher admitted. "But I really want to thank you for pulling me into this freaky situation."

"I –"

He saw Sam's grim expression and winked at him. "I'm giving you crap. Let's just get out of here, okay? Your dad is waiting for us in Aidan's motel room."

"We made it?"

"Yeah. Dean's there, too."

"So that's where we really are?"

"Yup."

"Then what's this?"

"Some kind of dream world or something."

"Who's dreaming?"

"I don't know."

"Will Dean be okay once we get him back to the room?"

"That's kind of the plan."

"You think it's gonna work?"

"Stop asking so many questions. Just walk."

There was no way to tell how long they'd been dragging Dean between them, but finally they could see what looked like a doorway ahead of them. Christopher and Sam exchanged a look; neither one of them could explain the bad feeling they suddenly had.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John was sitting on Dean's bed, holding a hand that was disturbingly cold. Sam flinched on the other bed, causing John to divert his attention and Aidan moved closer to the boy as Christopher seemingly reached out for him. They were all afraid to think about whatever battle might be going on.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"What the hell?" Christopher growled. They had just about reached the doorway when a tremendous wind started to whirl around them. The roar was almost deafening. He yelled to Sam, "Let's see if we can push through it."

Through sheer determination, Sam and Christopher made it to the doorway. Still supporting Dean between them, they both felt when something began trying to pull him away.

"Go!" Christopher yelled to Sam.

The teenager looked at him, wide-eyed. "What about Dean?"

"I've got him! Now go; he'll be right behind you!"

"But –"

"Sam, it will be easier to go through one at a time. Now do it!"

Sam was still uncertain, but he trusted what he saw in Christopher's eyes.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Sam jolted on the bed and sat up.

"Sammy –" John began. "Are you all right?"

"Dean!" Sam looked around, not sure where he was.

"Calm down, Sammy." John said, as Aidan grabbed the boy's arms.

Sam turned in the direction of his father's voice and saw Dean lying on the next bed. He pulled away from Aidan and scrambled to sit next to his brother, his hand still wrapped around his the shirt. "Dean?"

"What happened, Sam?" John asked. "Were you with Dean?"

"Yeah. Christopher came for us, but we got to a doorway and there was this wind –" he looked at Christopher, slumped in a chair between the beds. "Something tried to pull Dean away from us; he was unconscious and we were carrying him. Christopher told me to go through because it would be easier one at a time."

"Did you see what was trying to pull your brother away?" Raven asked.

Sam looked at her.

"Sammy, this is a friend of Christopher's. She's been helping us take care of your brother."

"I couldn't see anything; there was fog all around us." he said. John couldn't help but notice when Sam moved closer to him. He put an arm around Sam's shoulders, still holding onto Dean.

They were all quiet, waiting for something to happen. It seemed like hours, but it was only a moment later that Christopher's body fell to the floor. Aidan rushed to help him.

"Dean!" Christopher called.

John felt Dean move. "Dean? Son?"

Sam put a hand on his brother's chest. "Come on, Dean."

"You okay?" Aidan asked Christopher as Raven knelt down in front of him.

"Yeah. The boys?" he looked toward the bed.

"Sam's fine." Aidan said. "We're waiting for—"

"Sammy –" Dean said weakly. "Dad?"

"Right here, Son." John squeezed the hand he'd been holding.

"I'm here, too." Sam said.

"Christopher –"

"Here." he said, kneeling at the bedside, where Dean could see him. "You okay, kid?"

"Tired."

John looked to Raven.

"Let's get some more of the broth into him." she said. "Then we can let him sleep."

Dean looked at his father, questioningly.

"She's a friend, Dean. It's okay."

He nodded, sinking against John and reaching for his brother.

_TBC_


	10. Chapter 10

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Ten**

_Refer to disclaimers in previous chapters._

_A/N: It's a story within a story! The young Winchesters have been rescued but don't forget we still have to deal with the mystery surrounding Aidan's parents' death. What did he see in his house that affected what happened here? _

_I'm overwhelmed by the response to this story. I don't have the words to express my thanks – which is why I'll probably never be a professional writer! If you're inspired to jot me a few words, I'd love to read them. Thanks for sticking with me! _

ooOOooOOooOOoo

John forced himself away from the boys as they sat together on one of the beds, drinking the broth Raven had prepared. He leaned against a far wall and Christopher approached him.

"You're not going to eat?"

"Screw the broth, I want a cheeseburger."

John smiled. "Maybe we can send Aidan out for food."

Christopher glanced at the young man. "He's hurting, you know."

"When did you get so sympathetic?"

"I have my moments. He really feels bad, John."

John rubbed his beard-stubbled face. "I know. What the hell happened?"

"I don't know. This whole thing has something to do with his parents. I told him I'd help him figure it out."

"His parents?"

Christopher nodded. "The servant demons killed his parents. That much I know for sure."

"I investigated his parents' death –"

"What do you remember?"

"Not much, but it's all in my journal."

"I'd like to read it before I get inside his head."

John nodded. "Sure. Of course."

"But later, okay? I'm exhausted."

"You and the boys should get some sleep." John said as he watched his boys whisper amongst themselves. They didn't seem to notice anyone else in the room.

"That sounds like a great idea." Christopher said.

"Christopher," John began, somewhat uncomfortably. "Thank you. For everything."

"Look, I know we've had our differences but – I – I respect you and I was glad to help your boys."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Sammy?" Dean began as he finished the last of the broth. "I – uh – I don't know how you did what you did, but if you hadn't found me – I don't know what would have happened."

"I don't understand it either, Dean. I just knew something was wrong and –" he shrugged.

"You brought my knife. And my Metallica shirt –"

"Your car."

"My car?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "Why, Sam? Why did you bring this stuff?"

Sam shrugged. "They felt like you."

"I don't know what that means."

"_Your _knife, _your _shirt, _your_ car." Sam shrugged again, unable to explain any more clearly.

Dean hesitated. "Thank you, Sammy. You saved my life."

The younger boy beamed as he stifled a yawn.

Raven had gone to the office after giving the boys the broth and rented the room next to the one they already occupied. All of them were in desperate need of sleep and there were too many people for one room. Sam and Dean fell asleep in the bed they shared. John stayed with them and the others moved to the adjoining room.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

When John woke up after only a short time, he lay in bed watching his children as they slept across from him. The night he found out the truth about the evil that existed in the world, he swore he would always protect them. It was eating away at him that due to languid research, he not only failed to protect Dean, he put his oldest son in danger. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel pride for the way Sam managed to save him. These budding psychic abilities scared him, though, and he wondered how – or if – they fit into what happened to Mary. There was still so much he didn't know and he worried that those things were more important than what he did know.

John managed to fall back to sleep, but was startled awake when Sam shook his shoulder roughly.

"Dad!" Sam whispered harshly.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" John opened his eyes. Sam was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hand still on his father's shoulder.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" John asked, confused.

"When did we get here? When did Dean get here?"

John sat up. "You don't remember?"

Sam shook his head. He looked frightened.

John rested his hand on Sam's arm. "Tell me what you do remember."

"We were driving here. You asked me if I wanted anything to eat or drink, but I was too tired. I guess I fell asleep."

"And that's all you remember?"

Sam nodded. "Is something wrong?"

John pulled him into an embrace. "No, Sammy. Everything is fine."

A moment later, Sam pulled away. "Is Dean okay?"

"I think so. Let's check on him."

Sam moved to his brother and gently shook his shoulder as John threw his legs over the side of the bed. Dean slowly opened his eyes.

"Sammy –" he looked around. "Where am I?"

"A motel room." Sam said.

John leaned forward. "You okay?"

Dean nodded, but grimaced when he tried to sit up.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"Just sore." he saw the bruises on his wrists. "What happened?"

"What do you remember, Dean?"

He looked thoughtful. "Aidan and I were at the bar – I got taken from outside, just like we planned."

"Anything else?"

Dean shook his head. "How did I get here?"

"Aidan and Christopher." John said. "They found where you were being held and destroyed the demons."

"Why can't I remember anything?"

"Me too." Sam added.

"I don't know, boys."

"Why are you even here?" Dean asked.

"We were worried about you." John said. "Sammy here was too smart to buy the story and wanted to be here."

Dean looked from his father to his brother and back again. "What doesn't Sammy remember?"

"Most of the drive here." John said. "I guess he was pretty tired."

Dean looked disbelieving but said nothing. He looked back to his brother. "You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

Dean shrugged. "I guess so."

Sam reached for one of Dean's hands so he could examine the damage to his wrists. Dean stopped him, instead looking at his bandaged hand. "How's the cut?"

"Okay, I guess." Sam shrugged.

"Why don't I check both of you out?" John suggested. "Aidan and Christopher are asleep next door."

He got the first aid kit from his bag and set about examining his son's injuries. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but thought his sons' memory loss might be for the best.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

The Winchesters and their friends decided to stay in Milton for the night. No one felt like going out for food, so they had pizzas and sodas delivered. Away from the boys, John talked to Christopher about the rescue and found he remembered everything, though he had no explanation for why the boys' memories were blocked. Raven was also at a loss to explain it.

After getting his fill of pizza, Christopher settled in a corner of the room to read John's journal entries regarding the death of Aidan's parents. He occasionally glanced up to see Sam and Dean watching television together and John pretending to be interested in the show. Aidan was sitting near them, also pretending to be interested in the show, and Raven had gone to sleep in the next room.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Did the journal help?" John asked as he and Christopher stood outside.

"Maybe. I figured I'd take Raven home tomorrow and come back to your place – if that's where Aidan is going to be."

John looked away.

"John, come on. He needs you."

"This sensitive side of yours is really starting to piss me off."

Christopher smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure the real me will come shining through soon enough."

"Fine. I'll ask him to come home with us. So what? Do you think he knows what happened to his parents?"

"I think so. I think he probably saw something in that house before you got there, but he blocked it out."

"Speaking of blocking things out – the boys?"

Christopher shrugged. "I read them earlier. There truly is no memory of what happened."

"Do you think Raven did something? Was there something in that broth?"

"She's one of us, John." Christopher grinned. "Well, one of you."

"Oh good. The sensitive side is already disappearing." John smiled.

"I'm kind of tired. I think I'll turn in. Maybe you should stay out here for a few minutes. I have a feeling Aidan will be joining you."

"You reading him?"

"No. I'm going to send him out here to talk to you."

John shook his head and smiled as Christopher walked back toward the room. A moment later, Aidan joined John in the parking lot, his hands in his pockets and a nervous expression on his face.

"Christopher said you wanted to talk to me."

John hesitated. "Yeah. Look, I want you to come to our place when we leave tomorrow."

"You've got to be way pissed at me."

"No more than I am at myself. Christopher read my journal entries about your parents. He said he'd meet you at the house after he takes Raven home tomorrow. Maybe we can finally solve the mystery."

Aidan looked relieved.

"Thank you, John." he whispered.

John nodded and put a hand on his young friend's shoulder. "Come on, let's get some shut-eye."

_TBC_


	11. Chapter 11

**First Solo Flight**

**Chapter Eleven**

_Refer to disclaimers in previous chapters._

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read up to this point. This is the last chapter and I hope it ties up everything in a satisfying way. Feel free to let me know – I'll beg. I'm not proud. LOL._

ooOOooOOooOOoo

The night passed without incident and the next morning, Christopher left to take Raven home with plans to be at the Winchesters' home that night. John wasn't keen on Dean's idea that he and Sam go home alone in the Impala, but he relented knowing he and Aidan wouldn't be far behind them. Dean seemed to be suffering no lingering physical effects from his ordeal and John always recognized how important it was to the boys to spend time alone together. John also thought it would give him and Aidan time to begin healing their relationship. After breakfast, Sam and Dean headed home while John and Aidan went back to the farm where the men had been held to make sure everything was taken care of.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Dean?" Sam began after a few miles of comfortable silence.

The older brother glanced at him.

"Don't you think it's weird that neither one of us can remember the same period of time from yesterday?"

"Yeah." Dean said. "I do."

"What do you think that means?"

"I'm not sure, but I think we should talk to Christopher when he gets to the house tonight."

Sam nodded thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?"

"That somehow I was involved in whatever you don't remember."

"How?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know."

More time passed in silence, then Sam said. "I'm pretty pissed at Dad."

"What for?" Dean was surprised.

"For letting you be used at bait."

"Sammy –"

"No, Dean. It's not right."

"It was my choice."

"He could have ordered you not to do it. I told him he should have." Sam stared out of the window.

"You had a fight, you mean."

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"This is what we were trained to do."

"Bullshit. We were trained to hunt and fight, not to make ourselves targets."

"Sometimes there's a fine line between those two things."

Sam looked at him. "Don't ever do that again."

Dean had never heard such intensity in his little brother's voice. "Sam –"

"I mean it, Dean. And don't ever lie to me again."

Dean looked at his brother; seeing the same intensity in his eyes that he'd heard in his voice.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"You and Christopher did a good job here." John said, after they'd examined the barn ruins. "You said you found Dean in a cellar?"

Aidan nodded. "Do you want to see it?"

John shook his head. "Look, Aidan –"

"You don't have to be nice to me, John. I screwed up –"

"Maybe, but so did I. I got sloppy and lazy when it _my_ son's life at stake. Besides, if what Christopher suspects is true, it wasn't really your fault."

"I don't understand how this is related to my parents, or how that could have colored what I did." Aidan sounded much younger than his twenty-seven years. John's heart went out to him; he remembered the frightened child he'd found hiding in the house and the years that it took for Aidan to fully trust him.

"Christopher said the servant demons killed your parents." John said gently. "We'll figure out the rest of it."

"What if I don't want to know? I blocked it out for a reason." Aidan wondered quietly.

John put a hand on his shoulder. "You're older and stronger now. Besides, you have me."

Aidan looked at his friend with tears in his eyes.

"Come on, let's get on the road. I don't want Sam and Dean to get too far ahead."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Christopher pulled into Raven's driveway and walked her to the front door of her small house.

"You know what you're going to be walking into at the Winchesters tonight?"

He looked at her questioningly. "Why do you ask that way?"

"Just a feeling I'm getting from you."

"Since when do you get feelings like that?" he grinned.

"Don't play with me, boy. You just keep your head on straight."

"I will, Raven. Don't worry about me."

She laughed. "Someone has to."

Christopher hugged her. "Thanks for helping out."

"It was my pleasure. I'll see you soon."

Christopher started back to the car, then stopped. "Raven?"

"Yes?"

"You didn't cause the boys' memory loss, did you?"

"No, I didn't. Though I think it's the best thing that could have happened."

"I don't understand it."

"You know there are a lot of things we just can't explain. Even with everything we know."

He nodded, uncertain. "I guess you're right."

"Drive safely." Raven called to him as he got into his car.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

It was late when Christopher pulled up outside the Winchester's home. He saw a light on in the living room and he let himself in. Aidan was asleep on the couch and John was dozing in a chair; he assumed the boys were in their bedroom.

John woke up when he heard the front door open. "You made it."

"Yeah, sorry I'm so late."

"It's okay. Are you hungry?"

"I could use a beer."

"Follow me." John said and led the way to the kitchen. He got two beers from the refrigerator and joined Christopher on the back porch.

"Everyone okay?" he asked.

John nodded, taking a long swallow.

Christopher looked out into the darkness. The small, run-down house was at the end of a street and the back porch overlooked an empty lot.

"Something wrong?" John asked after a few minutes.

"No. I guess not anyway. I just had a lot of time to think on the way here."

"And?"

"What do you know about those servant demons?"

John shrugged. "They're just that. They end up working for others and apparently aren't picky."

"They're demons." Christopher pointed out.

"True."

"Anything else?"

"I reread the journal entries from Aidan's parents' death. The servants killed them, but I didn't figure out who they were working for. I have no idea why they were targeted."

"I think it was for Aidan."

"What do you mean?"

"He has some pretty interesting abilities. I think maybe they wanted to take him."

"Then why didn't they? He wasn't even there when they got his parents. And he would have been easy to pick off the next day when he came home."

"That's a good point."

"You don't want to read him, do you?"

"Truthfully? No."

"Why not?"

"Just a feeling I get. But I told him I'd help him, so I will."

"There you go, being sensitive again."

"Fuck you, John." Christopher smiled.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Hey." Dean said the next morning when he walked into the kitchen. John was at the table, his journal and a cup of coffee in front of him.

"Hey. Sleep okay?"

"I guess." Dean poured a cup of coffee for himself and sat across from his father.

John looked at him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Except I still feel a little weird not being able to remember what happened." Dean paused. "Will you tell me?"

After a brief pause, John went through everything he knew about what Dean had gone through. He told him about Sam's feeling that something was wrong, how he'd passed out in the car on the way to Milton, and Christopher using his psychic abilities to join them in the other world they were in to lead them back to safety.

"Apparently once the demons start feeding on a person, the life force seeps out even then they aren't actively eating."

"And Sammy somehow was connected to me?"

"Somehow."

Dean looked at him. "Does that mean he's psychic?"

"I thought so, but since he doesn't remember either –" John shrugged. "maybe it was temporary."

"You think it was temporary?" Dean quietly challenged.

John shook his head. "Not really."

"Okay, but how were we so wrong about the demons? Aidan said they kept their victims and fed over a long period of time."

"That's what Christopher is going to help Aidan figure out."

"Are you going to tell Sammy what you told me? About how he got into where ever I was?"

"I'd rather not."

"He'll ask."

"I suppose he will."

"I'm not going to lie to him again."

John rubbed his face. "Yeah."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Later in the day, John sent the boys out of the house to give Aidan and Christopher privacy.

"John, will you stay?" Aidan asked, a pleading tone to his voice.

"If you want me to."

The young man nodded and John sat next to him on the couch.

"You ready?" Christopher asked as he settled on a nearby chair.

"No."

"I'm kinda not either."

"So let's do it."

Although Christopher was skilled enough to rummage around in people's minds without detection, he made his presence known when he began to read Aidan. The intrusion wasn't painful, but it still made Aidan uncomfortable. He was afraid of whatever memories were locked up in his subconscious and was nervous about what Christopher would find. John saw his young friend's expression change from uncertainty to fear and put a hand on his arm.

The reading didn't take as long as Christopher expected and it wasn't as traumatizing to him as he feared. It was a different story for Aidan. When it was all over and the memories of that long ago time were a part of his consciousness, he collapsed on the couch. He was pale and his hands shook slightly.

John sat on the coffee table in front of the couch, a hand on Aidan's shoulder, speaking to him softly. Christopher had seen John act this way with Sammy after the boy suffered a nightmare, but he'd never witnessed this side of John with anyone else.

Christopher left them alone, returning to the living room later with a beer for each of them, glasses and a bottle of tequila he found in the kitchen. Aidan was now sitting up and looked much calmer than when Christopher left the room. He took the beer gratefully and drank a long swallow.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Is Aidan okay?" Dean asked after he and Sam returned home. The younger brother was in his room, catching up on the school work he'd missed.

John nodded as he leaned against the porch railing. "He's spent most of the afternoon by himself, but he'll be okay."

"So what happened?"

"He got home from the sleepover and found his parents dead."

"Not missing?"

John shook his head. "No. He found them in their bedroom, torn to pieces and blood everywhere. Terrified, he ended up hiding in the basement and somehow made himself believe they were coming back."

"But you didn't find the bodies when you got there?"

"No, I found out about this in a newspaper article. The police had been over every inch of that place and they would have found a scared kid in the basement. The article said the house was demolished but deserted. That's what I expected to find when I got there. "

"Where was he when the police were there?"

"The servants took him to the demon his father made a deal with."

"What?" Dean was confused.

"Before Aidan's father even met his wife, he made a deal with a demon. He'd become a successful businessman and give up his firstborn when he turned one year old. It didn't mean anything to him when he made the deal, but it did once he actually had a firstborn to give up." John paused, taking a long look at his oldest son. "He basically negotiated an extension when the demon came for Aidan on his first birthday. He had until Aidan turned fifteen. Demons generally can't be trusted anyway, but when it found out Aidan's father was planning to trap it the next time it came for his son, it took that personally. The demon sent the servants to kill Aidan's parents and take him."

"How did he get back? He was in the basement when you found him."

"Aidan endured three days of torture, but the spirit of Aidan's father traded himself for his son. The demon could kill him, but couldn't have him unless he willingly came." John shrugged. "Apparently it was part of the deal."

"So the demon sent Aidan back to his house where you found him?"

John nodded.

"I still don't understand what that had to do with this job, though."

"The only way Christopher could explain it is that all of the servants are connected, no matter who they work for. Aidan somehow got on the radar of the group in Milton and the information traveled around until the group working for the demon that killed his parents found out. They told the demon and it started manipulating the situation; manipulating him and what he'd research."

Dean shook his head. "Wow. And now he remembers all of that? The torture?"

John nodded again. "Yeah, he remembers. I called Jim and told him. I'm going to take Aidan to him tomorrow."

"Jim will be able to take care of him." Dean said confidently.

"Yeah, he will." John nodded toward Dean. "How are those wrists?"

"I'm fine, Dad." Dean said, looking him in the eye. "I don't remember how they got bruised."

"The important thing is, you're okay. I never should have let you put yourself in danger that way."

"You gave me an out."

"I should have at least done better research. I should never have trusted your safety to someone else."

"I'm not a kid anymore." Dean said earnestly.

"You're _my_ kid. You always will be." John put a hand on his shoulder.

ooOOooOOooOOoo

"Christopher?" Sam began when he walked into the living room later. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, kid, what's up?"

Sam sat next to him on the couch, where Christopher had been reading the newspaper. He wasn't sure where everyone else was.

"Why don't I remember?"

"I don't know, Sam. I think maybe you aren't supposed to remember."

"Why?"

"I think you did something you shouldn't have been able to do yet."

"How did I do it then?"

Christopher put the paper aside. "I don't know for sure, but probably because you and your brother are so close. Somehow you knew something was wrong; you were more worried about him than you'd ever been and you knew your dad wasn't there to make sure things went the right way."

"Should I be scared?"

"Scared? Why would you be scared? It was a good thing that you were able to help Dean."

"Will I be able to do – whatever it was – again?"

Christopher smiled at him. "When it's time, I'm sure you will."

Sam was thoughtful, but he seemed satisfied. "Thanks."

"Anytime, kid."

ooOOooOOooOOoo

Christopher left the next day, more than likely headed some place where he wouldn't be tempted to be sensitive and caring for a while. John drove Aidan to Pastor Jim's house, with Sam and Dean following in the Impala. The Winchesters planned to spend the weekend with their friend and get back home in time for Sam to go to school on Monday.

Considering the horrible truth that Aidan realized, he was doing pretty well. Before leaving the Winchester house, Aidan made a point of apologizing to Dean even though the younger man didn't blame him for anything. He was glad for the time he was going to spend with Jim and decided he should make it more of a habit.

John added the demon that killed Aidan's parents to his long list of things to hunt, knowing it would be some time before Aidan was ready to help. He also knew that Sam was still mad at him for letting Dean be a part of the job with Aidan, but it was another thing on Sam's own long list. It was also another fight Dean would manage to smooth over. John sometimes wondered what would happen to his relationship with Sam if it weren't for Dean, but he had a lot of things to worry about so he added that one to yet another list.

Satisfied with Christopher's explanation, Sam didn't ask his father, or Dean, about the things that happened during his missing hours and in time managed to push the whole incident from his mind. Even after the dreams and premonitions started when he was in college, the experience with Dean didn't come back to him.

For a reason he couldn't explain, Dean was afraid if Sam remembered it would be the start of very bad things so he was glad for each day that passed without Sam's – or his own - memory returning.

He knew his luck wouldn't continue forever though…

_Fin _


End file.
